1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tape dispensers and, more specifically, to an ink supplying device for use in a tape dispenser to apply ink to the printing surface of a printing wheel of the tape dispenser when the printing wheel rotated upon operation of the tape dispenser.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,947,025 and 6,112,659 respectively disclose a tape dispenser capable of printing patterns and words on the tape dispensed thereby and an adhesive tape dispenser provided with means for printing adhesive tape being dispensed. According to these two US patents, the tape dispenser comprises an ink supplying device (referenced by 50 in either patent) that supplies ink to the printing plate of the printing wheel. The ink supplying device comprises an ink storage cassette (referenced by 55 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,025, or 51 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,659), and a roller-like ink soaking member (referenced by 56 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,025, or 53 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,659) made of sponge and fastened rotatably with the ink storage cassette. The roller-like ink soaking member soaks up ink from the ink storage cassette, and keeps the periphery in close contact with the printing plate of the printing wheel. When the printing wheel rotated by the tape being dispensed, the roller-like ink soaking member is rotated to apply ink to the printing surface of the printing plate of the printing wheel, thereby causing the printing wheel to print patterns and words on the underside of the tape being dispensed.
The aforesaid ink supplying device is still not satisfactory in function. When the roller-like ink soaking member soaked up ink in the saturated status, excessive amount of ink may be applied to the periphery of the printing wheel, resulting in poor printing quality. Further, because the roller-like ink soaking member cannot keep ink wet for long, ink soaked up by the roller-like ink soaking member easily changes into vapor, resulting in unclear or thin printing on the tape being dispensed. In general, the use of the aforesaid ink supplying device makes printing quality control difficult.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide an ink supplying device for tape dispenser, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide an ink supplying device for tape dispenser, which applies ink to the printing surface of the printing wheel evenly to achieve a high quality printing effect.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ink supplying device for tape dispenser, which keeps ink from changing into vapor.
To achieve these objects of the present invention, the ink supplying device comprises a housing detachably mounted in a tape dispenser for receiving ink therein, a porous ink soaking layer mounted inside the housing and adapted to soak ink, and a fabric ink applying layer covered on the porous ink soaking layer and adapted to be contacted with the printing surface of a printing wheel of the tape dispenser for applying ink from the porous ink soaking layer to the printing surface of the printing wheel evenly.